Attachable captive cap device



F. BELLAFIOR E J ATTACHABLE CAPTIVE CAP DEVI-CE Feb. 28, 1967 Filed Oct. 21,1965

INVENTOR FRANK BELLAFIORE 'ATTORNEY I United States Patent 3,306,483 ATTACHABLE CAPTIVE CAP DEVICE Frank Bellafiore, Fitchburg, Mass. (Box 75-C, Corey Hill Road, Ashburnham, Mass. 01430) Filed Oct. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 499,140 1 Claim. (Cl. 21599) This invention relates to captive caps for containers such as tubes in which are contained pastes, jellies, etc., and for similar caps on glass, metal, or plastic containers. The invention can be used in any situation where it may be found desirable.

There have been many suggestions in the prior art for providing means for securing a cap which has to be rotated as by unscrewing it from a container. These involve the permanent attachment of the cap to the containers by means of a flexible member having a free end on which is mounted the cap, the cap being rotatable with respect thereto. However, such solutions to the problem have not been found to be successful in practice because many people do not care to be bothered with the captive device and would rather not have it present.

Therefore it is the principal object of the present invention to provide a captive device which may be packaged with the tube or container or secured thereto as by such simple means as a rubber band or the like but which is quickly and easily adhesively secured to the container; and including a rotary tab which can be quickly and easily adhesively secured to the cap, this being done by the ultimate consumer, but of course only if such consumer so desires.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation illustrating the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in elevation illustrating the invention applied to a container, and

FIG. 3 is a view on an enlarged scale partly in section illustrating the snap button as applied to the cap.

The invention comprises a pair of tabs generally indicated at and 12. Each tab as shown by the folded back corners at 14 and 16 respectively is provided with a pressure-sensitive adhesive on the side away from the observer in FIG. 1. Each has a cover sheet 18, 20 with a finger tab or the like if desired for peeling it when it is desired to use the device.

There is a flexible connector strap 22 in general connecting the two tabs 10 and 12 and this is permanently secured at one end as at 24 to tab 10. At its opposite end however it is not permanently secured to tab 12 but on the other hand tab 12 has mounted on it an undercut post, snap button or the like 26 which is snapped through a hole 27 in an enlargement 28 of the flexible connector 3,306,483 Patented Feb. 28, 1967 strap 22. The post or button 26 is secured to tab 12 by a washer or rivet 29.

It will be seen that the device shown in FIG. 1 is an assembled unit which may be tucked into any box which contains a tube or container of any kind, or it may be applied to a container by any means such as pressuresensitive tape or by a rubber-band, etc.

FIG. 2 shows the device in position on the container 30, which is of any kind having a cap 32 on it. This cap is of the type that must be rotated in order to remove it as by screw threads or the like as is well known. The user peels olf the adhesive protector 18 and applies tab 10 directly to the side of the container adjacent the cap. Then he peels off protective cover 20 and applies tab 12 to the cap 32. The tab 12 having mounted on it the snap button 26 is rotatively mounted with respect to the strap 22, so therefore the cap 32 can be rotated without disturbing the enlargement 28 or the strap 22 in any way. When the cap 32 is removed from the container, it will be secured thereto. On the other hand however the ultimate consumer need not use this device and can throw it away if he so desires, but it can be made extremely inexpensively so that very little is added to the cost of the container and its contents as sold at retail.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claim, but what I claim is:

In combination with a container having a cap which has to be rotated to remove it, a cap captive device comprising a tab, pressure-sensitive adhesive on one side of the tab so that it may be manually secured to the container, a strap secured at one end to the tab, a second tab at the other end of the strap, pressure-sensitive adhesive on one side of said second tab so that it can be adhesively secured to the cap, and means rot atively securing second tab with respect to said strap so that said cap is rotatable and therefore removable from the container without disturbing or disrupting the strap when the tabs are so secured.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,750,588 3/1930 Gilmore 2473 1,924,242 8/1933 Kaye 21599 2,008,835 7/1935 Rawcliife 220--38.5 2,399,040 4/1946 Karle 220-385 2,765,998 10/ 1956 Engert 248205 2,815,879 12/1957 Hermes 2l5--99 2,964,173 12/ 1960 Schnabel 248-205 2,980,975 4/1961 Jones 24217 3,008,612 11/1961 Garter 222543 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

D. F. NORTON, Assistant Examiner. 

